Manasquan Inlet 1/29--Razorbill

I had an appointment in Brick this afternoon, so I planned to spend the morning in Point Pleasant Beach, checking out its various hot spots. Lake of the Lilies had the usual ducks, including a huge flock of scaup, but the Redheads that had been mixed in with them were long gone. Little Silver Lake, nearby, was quiet, but a Pied-billed Grebe made it list-worthy.

Where I really wanted to go was the Manasquan Inlet, to spend a solid hour or so on the end of the jetty to see what ducks, loons, grebes, or alcids I could come up with. But, unlike the last few times when access to the jetty was difficult but not completely blocked, today the beach was overrun by gigantic Tonka Toys, digging huge holes in the sand, transporting boulders, all to some incomprehensible purpose. So all I could do was walk along the seawall at the inlet itself. A Laughing Gull, rare in January, has been reported there off and on the last few days, but I'm going to see a Laughing Gull this year, so I wasn't especially interested in finding it and I didn't. I walked as far west as I could and scanned the back of the inlet with my bins, finding Brant, both loons,  Red-breasted Mergansers, Long-tailed Ducks, and what at first looked to me like a really mottled Ruddy Duck. It was pretty far away and diving. On its second dive the big "duh" went off and I realized my ugly duck was actually a Razorbill. Now, of course, when I wanted to see it again, I couldn't find it.

Razorbill was the bird I was most hoping to find from the jetty, so to stumble across one deep in the inlet was a very happy surprise, though not unprecedented. I walked back east along the wall, thinking maybe it was heading back out to sea but didn't find, then returned to the my original spot. I had the feeling that it was probably farther down the inlet among the mergansers, but I didn't feel like hauling out my scope and have the tears from my wind-blown eye blur the lens. Fortunately, Carole came along and when I told her I'd seen a Razorbill, she was willing to get her scope. After a few minutes, fine birder that she is, she located the alcid where I suspected it was, in the flock of mergs. I got a good look in her scope and after comparing some notes, we went on to our separate endeavors.

Not a spectacular day of birding, but my goals are modest: one cool bird a day is sufficient for me.

Red-throated Loon